To punish or not to punish: Lessons from reef fish and saber-tooth blennies

ScienceDaily (2010-11-05) -- Researchers have experimentally shown that some species of reef fish will enact punishment on the parasitic saber-tooth blennies that stealthily attack them from behind and take a bite, even though their behavior offers no immediate gain. The study shows that punishment ultimately serves all members of the reef fish species well.